Golden Vanity
by Jessie Shockey
Summary: A vaguely 4+1 songfic to an old sea shanty.


A little note: the song in this story is actually a shanty...a song traditionally sung by sailors without accompaniment. It is called "Golden Vanity," and I'm sure there are quite a few versions floating about. The lyrics used in this story come from the version sung by the Corsairs, a wonderful little group that performs at renaissance fairs. To find out more about the Corsairs, please visit here. http://www.corsairs.com And I do mean please. It's well worth the click. And please read the lyrics that are intercut with the story. The song itself is a large part of the narrative. I just filled in the blanks.   
  
I promised Caer a story since she was sick and I was being mean to Quatre and she wasn't even well enough to berate me for it. And I figured, what better present than a 4+1? It's mild 4+1, but it's definately there. ^_^ This is my first time writing the pairing, just to warn you.   
  
  
Golden Vanity  
By Jessie  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
//O there was a lofty ship,  
And she sailed on the sea,  
And the name of that ship was the "Golden Vanity,"  
And she feared she will be taken by a Turkish enemy,  
As she sailed on the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
She sailed on the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  
Another loud blast rang out, and Heero ducked down behind a barrel of pickled apples as the cold salt water of the sea rained down on him from above. The shelling had been going on for most of an hour now, and the crew of the /Vanity/ was all terribly glad that the men on the Turkish ship seemed to be pretty terrible shots. Not a single cannonball had hit the ship itself. There were holes all through the sails now, and a bit of the bowsprit had been broken off, but other than that, they were pretty much intact.   
  
They were wearing down, though. The captain had disappeared below deck at the first sight of the enemy ship, leaving his mate in charge of the battle. To Heero, it seemed not only a cowardly move, but a stupid one. If the ship sank, he would be unable to escape. Heero himself had come up from the hold where he slept when he heard the blasting begin.   
  
The men were dashing about the deck, too and fro, not quite knowing what to do. The captain was hiding, and to them that meant the worst. It likely did mean the worst...after all, with no captain to lead and no one to inspire courage in the men, they would likely be taken. Heero had heard terrible things about the manner in which the barbarian Turks treated their captives...not at all like the civilized Englishmen that he was working with on this ship. Heero almost laughed at that though. Civilized. He wished he had never left Japan. At least there the warriors had a bit more honor.   
  
With a determined sigh, Heero dashed out from his hiding place and to the stairs leading down to the cabins. Someone had to do something, and it didn't really look like help was coming from any of the other sailors.   
  
When he found the captain, he was sitting on his bed, holding his head in his hands and crying. "Captain," Heero spoke up, drawing the man's attention away from his despair. "I have a plan."   
  
//Up spoke the cabin boy,   
The age of twelve and three,   
And he said to the skipper "What will you give to me  
If I swim along the side of that Turkish enemy,  
And sink her in the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
And sink her in the Lowland Sea?"//  
  
  
The captain was, needless to say, overjoyed. Without hesitation, he agreed to give Heero whatever he would need for the task, and promised him any reward within his power. After all, his life was on the line. If the boy failed, there would be nothing lost. And, if by some far chance he succeed...Well, surely his life and his ship would be worth any price.   
  
//O I will give ye silver,  
And I will give ye gold,  
And the hand of me daughter if you will be so bold  
As to swim along side of that Turkish enemy,  
And sink her in the Lowland-Lowland-Low  
And sink her in the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  
Heero smirked at that. The last item wasn't exactly what he would have chosen for himself. Certainly it would be nice to be rich...but to marry? He was only twelve and three! Still, it was an interesting proposal. And he could tell that the captain was very serious just by the nature of the reward offered. Yes, the captain loved his ship, but he loved his gold every bit as much. And, without a doubt, he loved his daughter most of all.   
  
"I need a drill," He told the captain as he led him up onto the deck. "That's it, really. Just lower a rope into the water to haul me out when I've finished."   
  
"Alright, alright, whatever you say," The captain agreed. He announced the new plan to his first mate as Heero stripped out of his shirt and shoes. Funny...He made it sound an awful lot like it was his idea.   
  
//The boy he made all ready,   
And overboard jumped he,  
And swam along side of that Turkish enemy,  
And with his little drillin' tool he bored in holes three,  
And he sank her in the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
He sank her in the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  
Near to the ship it was nearly impossible for him to be hit by the cannonballs that were still flying even as the ship sank. Fighters till the end. For a moment, Heero was sorry for what he had done. These men were more the valiant sailors he had in his mind as he signed the roster for the /Vanity./ He shook his head after a moment and pushed off of the side of the ship with his feet. The sea was terribly choppy now, and the cannons still blasted away as he made his way back to the side of his ship. At times, he was so blinded by the spray that he had to close his eyes and follow the cheers of the men on deck.   
  
Finally though, the cannon fire stopped as the Turks began to load their longboats and row away from their dying ship. If they were too close when she finally went under, it was likely they would be pulled in with her, down to the depths of the ocean. Grateful for the respite, Heero increased his pace and was back to the /Golden Vanity/ in no time at all. He swam along the side, careful not to get too close. She was wobbling a bit in the water. Heero doubted at this point that there was anyone at the helm.   
  
"Where's the rope?" He shouted as he swam towards the stern. Funny...he didn't see one anywhere. There was no answering yell from the captain, and Heero felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach.   
  
//The boy he turned around,  
And back again swam he,   
And he hollered for the skipper to haul him from the sea,   
But the skipper would not head, for his daughter he did need,  
And he left him in the Lowland-Lowland-Low,   
He left him in the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  
Heero stayed treading water until the ship had nearly crossed the horizon. His arms were beginning to tire... it had been a rough swim. His task was finished, now, and the ship was saved. Despite the feeling of deep betrayal he felt at the captain's actions...well, he couldn't blame him. The men were still yelling angrily when they had left his range of hearing, so he knew at least that someone had appreciated his sacrifice. It would be a good way to be remembered...dying the martyred hero. Maybe they would even write a song about him.   
  
Heero bowed his head and stared at the water just below his chin. How long can a human being tread water, he wondered. Right now, his one regret was that he hadn't told the captain from the beginning that he had no interest in marrying his daughter.   
  
"Hey, there," A soft voice called out. "That was very brave, what you did."   
  
Heero turned in the water to see one of the Turkish boats drawing closer and closer to him. Heero contemplated simply dropping beneath the waves. It was the look on the speaker's face that stopped him. He was a young boy, about Heero's own age. He looked at Heero with earnest admiration in his eyes, a light smile on his lips.   
  
"You stay there," he ordered. "I'll pull you out." His English was none too perfect. The accent heavy and a little hard to decipher, especially to Heero who had only just decided that he could count himself fluent. The men rowing the boat were smiling too, but they were focused on the boy kneeling in the bow, reaching out his arm to their enemy as he floated on the sea.   
  
"I sank your ship," Heero said, calmly. "Are you going to kill me? Because if you are, I think I would rather die here."   
  
The boy tossed back his head and laughed. The sun sparkled dazzlingly off of his blond hair. Funny, Heero thought. I thought Turks were darker. "Are you crazy?" the boy asked. "I need men like you. You're very brave. Did I say that already? Forgive me." He was close enough now that Heero could have easily taken his hand and pulled himself aboard, but still he didn't quite trust this strange young man.   
  
"/You/ need?" Heero asked.   
  
"You killed an awful lot of my sailors," The boy said calmly. "I need new ones. And I like bravery."   
  
"I'm your enemy. I sank your ship," Heero repeated. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He was starting to struggle a bit in the water now...it was very cold, and his legs were getting tired.   
  
"You have been betrayed," the boy said, softly. "I should think you would welcome the chance to get back at your captain. Will you ship with me? I will pull you out, regardless. We will simply put you ashore. You don't have to decide now."   
  
Silently, Heero nodded and took the boy's hand.   
  
********************   
  
"See?" Quatre asked as they bore down on the Vanity. It was months later, and Quatre had a new ship under his command. It turned out he couldn't have been farther from a cabin boy...This young boy had owned and captained the ship that he had sunken. Heero had felt doubly guilty when he discovered that bit of news.   
  
"I see her," Heero said with a little smirk. He raised his arm to give the command to fire. Beside him, Quatre took his other hand in his own and pressed it to his chest.   
  
//O there is a lofty ship, O there is a lofty ship,  
And she sails on the sea,  
But she sails without her cabin boy, the age of twelve and three,  
And she fears she will be taken by a Turkish enemy,  
As she sails on the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
She sails on the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  
*** End ***   
  
There is another verse that I pulled from the song. I didn't feel like writing something else depressing so soon after my last few fics. Besides, if I had followed the song to the letter, there would have been no way the two of them could have met. You'll see why. Here's the complete version. It's much more tragic this way. Gave me chills the first time I ever heard it. The melody is absolutely gorgeous, and I really wasn't expecting the ending.   
  
//O there was a lofty ship,  
And she sailed on the sea,  
And the name of that ship was the "Golden Vanity,"  
And she feared she will be taken by a Turkish enemy,  
As she sailed on the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
She sailed on the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  
Up spoke the cabin boy,   
The age of twelve and three,   
And he said to the skipper "What will you give to me  
If I swim along the side of that Turkish enemy,  
And sink her in the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
And sink her in the Lowland Sea?"  
  
  
O I will give ye silver,  
And I will give ye gold,  
And the hand of me daughter if you will be so bold  
As to swim along side of that Turkish enemy,  
And sink her in the Lowland-Lowland-Low  
And sink her in the Lowland Sea.  
  
  
The boy he made all ready,   
And overboard jumped he,  
And swam along side of that Turkish enemy,  
And with his little drillin' tool he bored in holes three,  
And he sank her in the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
He sank her in the Lowland Sea.  
  
  
The boy he turned around,  
And back again swam he,   
And he hollered for the skipper to haul him from the sea,   
But the skipper would not head, for his daughter he did need,  
And he left him in the Lowland-Lowland-Low,   
He left him in the Lowland Sea.  
  
  
The crew they hauled him out,  
But upon the deck he died,   
And they wrapped him in his blanket, so very soft and wide,  
And they cast him overboard to drift upon the tide,  
And he sank beneath the Lowland-Lowland-Low,   
He sank beneath the Lowland Sea.  
  
  
O there is a lofty ship,  
And she sails on the sea,  
But she sails without her cabin boy, the age of twelve and three,  
And she fears she will be taken by a Turkish enemy,  
As she sails on the Lowland-Lowland-Low,  
She sails on the Lowland Sea.//  
  
  



End file.
